WEBVTT ANTOINETTE: WE ARE FOLLOWINGTHAT BRAIRNLG BREAKING NEWS THISMORNING.RANDY: FORMER NEW ENGLANDPATRIOT PLAYER AARON HERNANDEZTHIS MORNING.IT HAPPENED AT 4:00.THE DISCOVERY WAS MADE AT AROUND4:00.LET'S GO OUT TO JOSH BROGADIR,AT GILLETTE STADIUM WITH WHAT WEKNOW.JOSH: AROUND 3:00 IS WHENAPPARENTLY HE WAS FOUND BYCORRECTIONS OFFICERS.4:00 IS WHEN THEY SAY THAT HEWAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.AND OFFICIALLY PRONOUNCED DEAD.WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR ISTHAT HERNANDEZ WAS FOUND HANGEDWITH A BED SHEET ON THE WINDOWAREA OF HIS CELL.HE'S IN A CELL -- A SINGLE CELLAT THE SOUZA BARANOWSKICORRECTIONAL FACILITY INSHIRLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.HERNANDEZ WAS ACQUITTED OFDOUBLE MURDER IN THE DEATH OFSAFIRO FURTADO AND DANIEL DEABREU.THEY WERE KILLED IN 2012, BUTHERNANDEZ WAS ACQUITTED OF THOSEMURDERS ON FRIDAY.ONLY CONVICTED BY THE JURY ONONE GUN CHARGE, THE REST OF THECHARGES HE WAS ACQUITTED.THIS COMES A FEW DAYS AFTERTHAT, AND OF COURSE, HE WASCONVICTED IN THE DEATH OF ODINLLOYD A FEW YEARS BEFORE THAT.HERNANDEZ, A NEW ENGLANDPATRIOT, FORMER FLORIDA GATOR,DRAFTED OUT OF FLORIDA, ANDBEFORE THAT, FROM BRISTOL,CONNECTICUT, CERTAINLY HAD ATROUBLED PAST IN HIGH SCHOOL,WAS IN FLORIDA, HAD SOME TROUBLETHERE, AS WELL, AND DRAFTED BYTHE PATRIOTS, WAS A STAR ON THISFOOTBALL TEAM ALONGSIDE ROB GRONGRON FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH THEPATRIOTS AND NOW FOLLOWING HISCONVICTION OF ODIN LLOYD AND HISARREST IN THE 2012 MURDER, WEDID LEARN TODAY THAT HE HASCOMMITTED SUICIDE.HIS FAMILY HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.A BIT MORE INFORMATION WE'REFINDING OUT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.HE WAS FOUND HANGING FROM A BEDSHEET THEY SAY, POLICE SAY.STATE POLICE, ALSO THEDEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, THEYALSO SAID THAT HE JAMMED THEINSIDE DOOR WITH VARIOUS ITEMS,NOW STATE POLICE CONTINUE TOINVESTIGATE THIS.AS SOON AS WE FIND OUT MOREINFORMATION, WE WILL BRING IT TOYOU LIVE.FOR NOW LIVE IN FOXBORO, JOSHBROGADIR, WCVB NEWSCENTER 5.ANTOINETTE: THANK YOU.REALLY JUST A STUNNINGDEVELOPMENT, IN THIS CASE REALLYWE'VE BEEN WATCHING FOR YEARS,

Corrections officers found Hernandez hanging in his cell at 3:05 a.m. at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley.

Hernandez, 27, was in a single cell in a general population housing unit, officials said.

He hanged himself using a bed sheet that he attached to his cell window. He also tried to block his door from the inside by jamming the door with various items.

Lifesaving techniques were attempted on Hernandez. He was taken to UMASS Leominster, where he was pronounced dead at 4:07 a.m., according to Christopher M. Fallon, of the Massachusetts Department of Correction.

Fallon said he's not aware of any suicide note written by Hernandez.

He said that officials had no concern that Hernandez was planning on taking his own life, and if there was a concern about his well-being, Hernandez would have been transferred to a mental health unit.

"This is a shocking and sad end to a very tragic series of events that has negatively impacted a number of families," District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn said.

Hernandez was serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd.

His death means that conviction is likely to disappear. Under Massachusetts law, defense attorneys can seek to have convictions vacated when a defendant dies before an appeal is heard.

A jury last week found Hernandez not guilty of first-degree murder in the killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Before his acquittal, Hernandez on Wednesday was seen blowing kisses to the little girl he fathered with fiancée Shayanna Jenkins.

Hernandez, grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and played for the New England Patriots from 2010 to 2012.

About six weeks after Furtado and de Abreu were killed, he signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Patriots and went on to play another season before Lloyd was killed.

He was cut from the team shortly after he was arrested in Lloyd's killing in June 2013.

He was not charged in the 2012 killings until 2014.

His death comes the same day the Patriots are making their visit to the White House to mark their Super Bowl win.

Team spokesman Stacey James said the Patriots were aware of the reports of Hernandez's death but didn't anticipate the club commenting Wednesday.